I Don't Want An Apology

An Apology is not Welcome

By

Sally F. Zerker

Canadian governmental spokespeople have been active lately in apologizing for historical wrongs. One such apology was offered by Justin Trudeau on the 18^th of May, when he apologized for a little known iniquitous act by the Canadian government against a shipload of Indian immigrants 102 years ago. On May 30, the premiere of Ontario, Katherine Wynne, apologized to native peoples from this region for a painful history of exploitation.  Everybody, seemingly, is getting in the act. Toronto’s chief of police has also issued an apology, this time for a raid on gay bathhouses years ago.

Please don’t jump to the conclusion that I’m writing this piece in order to demand yet another apology. I don’t want one, despite the fact that there is no doubt I was enduringly harmed by the government of Canada. Still I want it known that I don’t want an apology for what they did to me 80 years ago.

What malice was inflicted on me personally by the Canadian government? It was responsible for the early deaths of my aunt, uncle, and their children—my cousins. Of course the Canadian authorities didn’t directly murder these members of my family, but nevertheless they were responsible.

How come? My aunt Chaya was my father’s sister, she was married to Alter , and they had five healthy, bright children, who undoubtedly would have been a great asset to Canada.  Chaya and Alter lived in Lodz, Poland. In the  1930’s, they were all set to join their parents and siblings in Canada. By then, my father’s whole extended family, with the exception of Chaya’s, was already settled in Toronto, Canada.

My parents migrated to Canada in 1927, to join both their maternal and paternal parents and siblings. My father’s four brothers and one sister were newcomers to Canada. As you can imagine, these new immigrants were doing everything possible to earn a living. But they were determined to assemble enough money to bring their remaining sibling and her family to Canada. Unfortunately, it took a few years to accumulate the required amount.

By that time, in the thirties, the Canadian policy with regard to Jews wanting to settle here, was in the hostile hands of Prime Minister Mackenzie King and Frederick Blair, head of immigration, who had the support of the Liberal cabinet and the caucus. They didn’t want any Jews to enter Canada. None! The result was that Canada had the worst record for the entry of Jewish refugees of any nation during the Nazi years.

The application of Chaya’s family’s to migrate to Canada was made in the normal way, and to my father’s surprise and disappointment, their visas were denied. An expert on immigration was hired to appeal the decision, but this too failed. A reason given for the rejection was that Alter, the husband and father of the family, had a limp, and was therefore liable to have tuberculosis of the limbs, which could threaten other Canadians. I don’t know how they came up with this excuse because it was a complete falsehood.  I know this for certain, because one cousin who survived the holocaust, and who came to Canada after liberation, is still with us, thank God. She told me that this accusation is utter nonsense. Her father was strong and young, was fully competent to work, walk and run, and with healthy legs.

Why then is it that I don’t want an apology for this cruel act? Because an apology can’t right this wrong.  It will not retrieve my relatives for me nor offer me any solace. Instead, it will whitewash a government and a Liberal Party that continued to do nothing to amend the type of antisemitism that was endemic in Canada until the 1970s.

It was the kind of antisemitism that was so widespread and casual that I was not the least bit surprised when I was turned down for a job for which I was well qualified, when I was told that it was not for me because I wouldn’t be comfortable being the only Jew at that insurance company.  The president of the company who interviewed me was obviously “thinking only of my well-being”. That kind of antisemitism was also responsible for my sister’s rejection when she sought to become a nurse, and was frankly told by hospital authorities that being Jewish made it out of the question.  I’m happy to say that my children and grandchildren never had to face that type of discrimination for their Jewishness.

However, a job still remains for the Liberal Party now in power with regard to antisemitism. Antisemitism is rife on the campuses, on social media, and among Non-government Organizations (NGO), only it hides behind anti-Zionism and anti-Israel hostility. Jewish citizens of Canada should not have to experience hatred for their Jewishness, ever. But they unfortunately do today, in many venues.  It’s too late to correct the past, which is what an apology contrives to do. But it is not too late for Canadian authorities to make certain that antisemitism is never again allowed to thrive, anywhere and at any time, in this great country.